North America&#039;s tallest shipping container building proposed for Vancouver

DH Vancouver StaffJan 06, 2015 3:05 pm

Atira Women’s Resource Society has submitted a rezoning application to construct a seven storey building made out of shipping containers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The building at 420 Hawks Avenue will stand at a height of 21.9 metres (72 feet) and provide 26 units of social housing. The units will range in size from 280 square foot studio units to 420 square foot two-bedroom units, with studio units built out of two 8’x20′ container units and two-bedroom units out of three container units.

According to the Globe and Mail, approximately 90 shipping containers that cost between $3,000 to $5,000 each will be stacked seven high to create the superstructure of the residential building. If it is approved by municipal officials and completed as envisioned, it could be North America’s tallest building of its kind.

This is the non-profit organization’s second social housing project using container buildings. In 2013, it completed a three-storey container building on Alexandra Street consisting of a dozen units – a project that cost just $82,500 per unit, which is significantly lower than the $220,000 per unit for a conventional concrete complex. It is also estimated the Alexandra Street project cost 10 per cent less than the average wood-frame structure.

The project’s units will be rented out for $375 for single women and $570 for a woman with a child. Residents will have access to the support staff and amenities located at the The Rice Block, a separate social housing complex located next door to the development site.